


After Forever (The Twilight Saga)

by ttsforks



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Multi, the twilight saga - Freeform, twilight - Freeform, twilight saga - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-06 05:55:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 11,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18382322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ttsforks/pseuds/ttsforks
Summary: This is a fanfiction about the Cullen family 10 years after the Volturi confrontation. Bella and Edward are happier than ever, Renesmee is all grown up, Jacob hasn't aged, and guess who's married? Wanna know what they've been up to the last decade? Find out in my fanfiction! Hope you enjoy!





	1. Prologue (BPOV)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Stephenie Meyer](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Stephenie+Meyer).



> This story was originally uploaded to Wattpad. My username there is also @ttsforks! Thank you for reading!

Edward and I left the meadow in peace. Hand in hand, we took our time getting back home. It was finally over. We would never have anything to worry about again. Part of me thought Aro might want to come at us again in a few years, either to see if Renesmee was still safe, or because he was still angry that it didn’t come to a fight. When I told Edward this, he laughed. He said Aro was terrified of me. He wouldn’t dare come back here unless it was on good terms.  
When we got home, Renesmee was with Jacob, reading to him. When she saw us walk through the door, she ran over to hug me. No matter what happened in the future with the Volturi, I knew I shouldn’t waste my time worrying about it. My life was finally where I wanted it to be.


	2. Time Jump (BPOV)

“Where do you want this, Alice?” I was holding three sets of blue and white streamers. It was September 11th, 2016. My little girl was turning ten-years-old today. Although, Renesmee was physically eighteen years old and mentally thirty-five. Just the same, she’s been alive for ten years.  
“Give them to me.” She held her arms out for them. She’d do it better than I would, so I didn’t mind. Or, she thinks she’d do it better than me. I didn’t care where they went or how perfect they had to be. Nor did Renesmee. But she liked to make her aunt happy. As did I.  
She groaned. “Rosalie! I told you to finish the banner by three o’clock! It’s three-oh-two.” She stomped off to Rose’s room as she was yelling. I chuckled. I went in to make Renesmee’s cake while Alice dealt with the party details.  
Ness was with Jacob. Edward told him to keep her occupied until five. I wasn’t sure what they were doing. But I probably didn’t want to know.  
Renesmee and Jacob have been together for almost three years. After she was fully grown four years ago, he’s been fighting for her. He told me it was like everything switched into full drive for him when that happened. She played hard to get for as long as she could, but she couldn’t hold it in any longer. She loved him, and stopped trying to deny it. If they were happy, so were Edward and me. But no matter how much he loved his daughter, Edward would be lying if he said he wasn’t still a little disturbed by the situation.  
I put the cake in the oven and went to sit at the counter. I read a few hundred pages of my book in three minutes, then I heard the garage door open and close. Edward and Emmett were back. They went to Seattle to get birthday presents for Renesmee. Jasper and Esme were hunting, and Carlisle was working at the hospital. Everyone should be back soon.  
I closed my book and tossed it back to the center of the coffee table. Edward was suddenly behind me.  
“Hey.” I smiled and started to turn toward him. He took my hand and spun me around before we embraced. I squeezed the fabric of his shirt, happy to have him home.  
“I missed you,” I sighed. We leaned off of each other and he grinned.  
“I missed you, too,” he said, and kissed me. My body automatically leaned into his.  
“Ugh. Get a room,” Emmett boomed, walking in on us. “Or, better yet, go home!”  
I snorted. “Not yet.” I ran to him. He scoffed when I jumped into his arms.  
“Hey, Bells.” He kissed my temple and set me down. Edward wrapped his arm around me as he walked past Emmett, and smacked the back of his head.  
“Did you find everything okay?” I asked as we walked out of the house, toward our cottage.  
“Perfectly. How have things with the party been? Alice driving you crazy yet?”  
“Honestly, after twelve years, she’s growing on me.”  
“You’re lucky. I’ve been with her decades longer than you have and she still knows how to get under my skin.”  
We walked inside, and he led me to our room. We may not get to sleep, but I enjoyed relaxing. Laying still is comforting. It gives me time to think.  
Edward laid on the left side of the bed, on my right.  
“So... what do you want to do for your birthday?”  
“Nothing. I don’t want anything, I don’t need anything. It’s pointless. I don’t age. What’s left for a birthday—?”  
“Answer the question. It’s been eleven years. When are you gonna make this easy for me?” He cut me off, getting upset.  
“Edward—”  
“Bella. Come on. How many occasions a year do we get to do something together? Just the two of us? Three. And one of them is always difficult.”  
“Three?”  
“Our birthdays, and our wedding anniversary.”  
“Well, at least I don’t make all three difficult. Two are important to me. The other one isn’t.”  
“But we always celebrate them well. Don’t you remember last month? You were so happy.”  
“It was our ten-year anniversary. That’s a big deal. Pointless birthdays are not.”  
“Well, in that case, my birthday is pointless, too, right? I knew why you hated your birthday when you were human, but why now? You don’t age anymore. That’s what you hated.” I shrugged. “But you’re young forever now. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t love—” I kissed him, tired of arguing. He was right, of course. He always is. But the truth of why I still don’t like my birthday, even after being changed, will forever remain a secret. He doesn’t need to know. He just needs to accept that I don’t like it and move on.  
He grabbed the back of my knee and pulled it over his.  
“You did like the way we celebrated last month, right?” He smirked.  
“Isle Esme sure does hold a lot of memories...” I grinned when he kissed me again.  
Before things could get too heated, the phone rang.  
“Damnit.” he growled.  
“Easy.” I leaned over him and took the phone from the nightstand. She was yelling before I got a word out. It was Edward’s phone, but of course she saw who answered.  
“Bella Marie Swan-Cullen! Get back here! We aren’t done!” Alice was pissed.  
“You know Renesmee doesn’t like when we go all out like this.”  
“Yeah, a lovely trait she got from her mother. Thanks for that, by the way.” Edward laughed. “Both of you come back over here. Ness will be home in twenty-eight minutes.” With that, she hung up.  
I tossed the phone and groaned. “Why does she do this?”  
“She’s Alice. No one really wants to know.” He frowned. “We should go before she comes here and drags us.”  
I chuckled. After a second, I realized it wasn’t a joke. She really would do that. I raised my eyebrows.  
Seriously? I thought.  
“Seriously,” he said, getting off the bed.  
This past decade really helped me get in touch with my gift. Whenever I wanted, I was now able to lift my shield and send thoughts to Edward.  
He loved it. So did I. It helped when we needed to have a private conversation around other people. Kind of like him and Alice. They have done the same thing ever since she and Jasper arrived.  
We left the cottage hand-in-hand. When we were nearing the house, it was silent.  
Edward froze, and squeezed my hand.  
“What is it?” He wouldn’t answer. “Edward.”  
I threw my shield forward and I felt them when it reached the house. I ran inside, dragging a very angry Edward behind me.


	3. Surprise (BPOV)

“You’re too early!” Alice was upset. My daughter and my best friend stood in front of her.  
“It’s not our fault you can’t see us, Aunt Alice.” Renesmee laughed her musical laugh. It was identical to her father’s. I smiled adoringly.  
I was suddenly confused. Why was Edward so angry? What did I miss?  
“Mom!” After she engulfed me in a hug, I kissed the top of her head.  
“Happy birthday, Nessie.” I pulled back and her smile made me forget all about my worries. I wouldn’t ruin a fraction of this day for her. I would wait until Edward and I were alone again and ask him then.  
“Okay, okay, change of plans! Nessie, come with me. You need your birthday hat.” Alice walked over to her to drag her away. Before Renesmee let go of me, she sent a thought.  
Wish me luck.  
I laughed. “I would if I could,” I mouthed.  
“Jacob,” Edward said.  
Jacob dropped his huge grin the second he set his eyes on him.  
“Okay, enough.” I turned around, grabbed Edward’s right hand, Jacob’s left hand, and stomped outside.  
Pulling them in front of me, I let go of them, and glared. “Are you guys serious? It’s been eleven years. I thought you guys got past all the drama. It’s Renesmee’s birthday. You guys need to pull it together.” I paused. “Jacob. What did you do?”  
“Nothing! I didn’t do anything!”  
“Yet,” Edward growled.  
“Oh, my god. You guys know I can’t read minds, right? Can someone fill me in?”  
“Go ahead, Jacob. Tell her.”  
“I was only thinking about it, calm down. It makes sense. You know it does. What’s the problem?”  
“Guys!” I was getting frustrated.  
“He’s planning to propose,” Edward finally looked at me.  
I was lost for words. I didn’t know how to feel. I had to admit, it was a little weird. I accepted it a long time ago that he would end up with my daughter, but... it’s my daughter. It’ll always be weird.  
On the other hand, I know how happy he makes her. That’s ultimately all I care about. I knew what her answer would be. We all knew.  
Renesmee still doesn’t know everything that happened between the three of us before she came along. She barely knows all the problems Edward and I alone faced before she came along: James, Laurent, Victoria... She doesn’t even know that Edward left me after my eighteenth birthday.  
Not that she had to know. But I planned on telling her eventually. Maybe a few more centuries. Maybe.  
“You... You what?”  
“Our three-year anniversary is coming up soon. I thought it would be a good time.” He paused and it was quiet. “Should I not? I actually was planning to ask you guys first, Edward. You should know me better than that by now.”  
“He was caught off guard, Jake. Don’t be upset with him. And Edward, you can’t be upset with him, either. You and I both knew that this was gonna happen. Maybe a little sooner than I would have hoped, but—”  
“Oh, please. He proposed to you a year after you met, and most of that year you two were apart.” Jacob flinched when he realized what he said, but quickly recovered and got to his point. “I’ve known Nessie for a decade.”  
“And for most of that decade, you were only an uncle figure to her.” I softened my tone when I looked back at Edward. “Her happiness is what matters above all. We agreed we’d always do what would make her happy.”  
He kept his eyes down for a few minutes, then sighed. “I know... I know.” He clapped Jacob on the shoulder. “You have my blessing.”  
“Thanks, Dad.”  
“No!” And with that, Edward walked back inside.  
When he was out of sight, I laughed. I held onto Jake’s other shoulder while I bent over.  
“Okay, maybe that was a bit much.” I kissed his cheek once I caught my breath. “But you have my blessing, too.” I started walking back up the front steps. “And, Jake?”  
“Yeah?”  
“Never call me ‘Mom.’”  
“Wouldn’t dream of it, Bells.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m not psychotic.”


	4. Past Remembrance (BPOV)

“Hey, beautiful,” I smoothed over Renesmee’s hair before sitting next to her at the kitchen counter. She was drawing in her sketchbook. She was quite the artist.  
Her birthday hat was pushed back, slinging across her neck and over her thick curls. If Alice were to come in here...  
“Hi, Momma.” Her frown lines came to the surface when she saw the look on my face. “Everything okay? What happened out there?”  
“Nothing for you to worry about. You know how your father gets around Jacob.” I had gotten very good at my poker face since I became a vampire. My voice doesn’t shake anymore, and of course my face doesn’t fill up with blood out of nervousness.  
“I guess. After all this time as a family, you’d think they’d get over it already.”  
I chuckled. “Tell me about it.” I watched her as she drew a nearby forest. Hundreds of trees and a waterfall. She got every detail. I knew exactly where it was.  
“What made them like that?”  
I was so focused that I forgot what we were talking about. “Hm?”  
“Dad and Jacob. Why do they hate each other so much?”  
“Oh, they don’t hate each other, honey. They just... have a rough history. Disagreements.”  
“Whatever. Why?”  
What was I supposed to say? That her boyfriend used to be in love with her mother?  
That I was in love with him as well?  
That he and her father tried to kill each other a few times before she was born? How do you tell your daughter something like that, plus all the stuff that went with it?  
“Maybe you should ask Jacob that.” I got up and kissed her forehead. “I’m gonna go find your dad.”  
I heard her sigh as I walked out of the front door. I knew there was no way out of it. Someone would have to tell her everything eventually.  
I smelled Jacob before I saw him. As we got closer and closer, I tried to calm myself down a little.  
He gave me a grin when he saw me, but it faltered the more he looked at my expression. I nudged his arm and he understood. He took off running with me, toward the cottage, where I assumed Edward was since he wasn’t in the house.  
We got there within a few minutes, and found him on the couch reading one of my books. He put it down when we walked in.  
“So, why am I here?” Jacob plopped himself down on the sofa, and I sat next to Edward on the loveseat.  
“Renesmee?” Edward asked me. I nodded.  
“What about her?” Jake put his feet up on the coffee table, and Edward gave him a dirty look.  
“You’re twenty-six years old, Jacob. Act like it.”  
He looked confused, but sat up the way Edward was, mocking him.  
I rolled my eyes. “Can you guys not do this now? This is the very reason why we‘re here. Renesmee just asked me why you two are like this. We need to discuss what to tell her.”  
“What’s the big deal?”  
“How do you think she’s gonna react when she finds out, Jacob? You don’t think she’s gonna be a little taken aback? Especially when you ask her to marry you.” I narrowed my eyes. How did he seem like he didn’t care? “I’m sure she’s gonna be thrilled when she knows about you and me! What do you think, Edward?”  
“Absolutely fascinated indeed, Bella! Shall we go tell her right away, Jacob?”  
“Oh. That.” He finally understood.  
“Yeah. That.”  
“Well... do we have to tell her? Why does she need to know? It was over before it started.”  
“Because she deserves to know the truth. She’ll need time to accept it before she figures out what to do about you.”  
“Do you think she’ll end it?”  
I saw in his eyes how terrified he was. He was good at hiding it in his voice, but I knew him. I grew up with him. Edward couldn’t see it—even though he knew from his mind—but I could. He didn’t want to lose her. That’s the absolute last thing he wanted.  
I went to sit next to him, and put my arm around him. “I don’t know. But you don’t want to start a marriage with something this big hanging over you. She needs to know, Jake. And you have to be the one to tell her.”  
After he left, I sat next to Edward again. I had never seen the look on his face before.  
“What’s wrong?”  
“I... cant believe I ever misjudged him about his intentions toward Renesmee.”  
“What do you mean?”  
He sighed. “I need to apologize to him.” He saw how confused I was. “I heard what he was thinking. It reminded me of... me. When I thought I lost you forever. How afraid I was to go on without you. How I’d rather die...” I blinked, my heart sinking. “The same things are clouding Jacob’s mind about our daughter. He really does love her.”  
My frozen heart melted for my best friend. He was hurting. And when he hurt, I hurt. But the way Edward described it... the only thing I wanted in this moment was to hug Jacob. To tell him Renesmee would be fine with it.  
But I couldn’t tell him that. I had no idea what she would think of it.  
“You honestly didn’t think he did before this?”  
“It’s not that, exactly. I just thought it was because of the bond he has to her. Because of the imprint. I hate myself for saying this, but... no. I didn’t think he did. But now I know. And that’s what I have to apologize for.”  
I leaned my head on his shoulder, silently telling him it would be okay.


	5. Greatest Gift (RPOV)

“There you are! I’ve been looking for you. Where have you been?”  
“I took a walk. Hi.” Jacob smiled and kissed me.  
“Alice said my party’s about to start. Have you seen my mom and dad?”  
“Yeah, they should be here soon.”  
“Were you with them?”  
“A few hours ago. I went to see my dad about something and then I took my time coming here.”  
“Everything okay with Billy? I miss him.” I haven’t seen him in a few weeks, when Mom and Dad went to the family’s island for their ten-year wedding anniversary.  
“He misses you too. He’s great, never better.”  
“That’s nice to hear. When are we gonna go see him?”  
“Hopefully tomorrow.” He smiled to himself.  
I took his hand and we walked inside. Aunt Rose was the first to hug me after they yelled ‘surprise,’ even though it was no surprise at all. Aunt Alice skipped over to me, and Jacob let go of me to eat cake.  
Alice sat me down, giving me a few presents to open. She groaned when I told her I wanted to wait for my parents, then ran outside. To get them, I assumed.  
About five minutes later, she came back while dragging them behind her. That was quick. Why was she so excited about this? You’d think it was her birthday.  
“Open! Mine first!” I laughed and did as I was told. She sat next to me.  
“Why are you so jumpy?”  
“Oh, no, Alice, you didn’t,” Dad said.  
“I did!”  
“What did she do?” Mom asked. He rolled his eyes, but grinned.  
“Go ahead, Ness,” he told me.  
I opened the lid of the box, and gasped. “No, you didn’t!”  
“I did!” Alice screamed with me. It was a key.  
I was about to run outside, but she beat me to it. I followed her as fast as I could out to the other side of the house.  
“It’s a Mercedes Guardian S600!”  
“Your mom had one over a decade ago.” Dad‘s grin was as big as Aunt Alice’s.  
“Oh, the memories of that thing,” Mom rolled her eyes.  
“I love it! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I hugged Alice.  
“What about me, kid? I vaguely remember my name on the card as well.” I was so caught up in it, then I immediately felt my mood falter.  
“I’m sorry, Uncle Jazz. Thank you so much!” I squeezed him until I had nothing left in me. He kissed my cheek.  
“Let’s go back inside and finish the party. You can drive this later,” Mom said.  
Dad rolled his eyes. “You’re no fun.”  
She chuckled once. “Excuse me?”  
“Let her drive it if she wants to drive it. We’re immortal. We can spare a few hours if she wishes. It is her birthday.” He was obviously teasing her, but it was always funny seeing her react.  
“I’m no fun? What about you, huh? Where was this attitude the year we met and you didn’t want to do anything I wanted to do?”  
“When was this? There was nothing I wouldn’t have done to make you happy.”  
She didn’t say anything, she just gave him a look. One I didn’t recognize. It took him a second to realize what it meant as well.  
“Bella!” he gasped. “Our daughter is present!”  
“Oh, please. Like you guys have more than one shade of grey,” Emmett cackled.  
“No, no, no. Bye.” I went back inside and got something to drink. They were all still laughing outside. It took them a few minutes before they joined me.  
After the rest of them calmed down, Rosalie gave me her present, a camera. Emmett’s was a stereo for my car, which for some reason made my mom emotional. Carlisle’s was an old book collection that he enjoyed reading a long time ago, and Esme’s present was the most beloved of all.  
She walked me out to the garage. All the cars were sitting in rows outside of it.  
When she opened the door, I cried. It was my own art studio, filled with every possible thing any artist could ever want. It took me a while to stop crying, but when I did, I hugged her. She told me to check everything out and rejoin the party when I was done.  
I eventually started to walk back to the house, and wondered why it was so quiet. It was dark out now, and most of the lights in the house were out.  
I realized why when I got inside. There were nearly a hundred candles and even more roses and rose petals everywhere. The only one in the room was Jacob. I could sense the rest of the family’s presence nearby though.  
He gave me a minute to take everything in, but when I got a few feet away from him, he got down on one knee and took a little velvet box out of his jacket pocket. I gasped.  
He took a deep, shaky breath, and said, “Renesmee Carlie Cullen... the first time I laid eyes on you, I understood the reason why I was put on this earth. You have been the light of my life, and I can’t thank you enough for keeping me in yours for the last ten years. I love you. And I would love even more if you...” He paused and opened the box, looking at me with tears in his eyes. “...would spend the rest of my life with me. Will you marry me?”  
I knew my answer before he asked me the question. I knew I would be happy for the rest of my life, no matter how long that would be. I stopped holding my breath and simply said one word.  
“Yes.”


	6. Truth, Part One (JPOV)

Everyone was so happy for Renesmee and I. As soon as the Cullens congratulated us, we went to my house to see my dad. I called my sisters a few days ago, so Rebecca and Rachel were there, too. I’d never seen Nessie happier.  
We were gonna stay there for a night and then I’d tell her the truth about my past when we got back to her home. I just didn’t know how yet.  
Part of me thought she wouldn’t care because it was so long ago. But the other part of me thought she’d throw the engagement ring in my face, and my life would be over.  
“How soon would you like it to be?” she asked me. We were laying in bed, trying to figure out some wedding details. She wouldn’t stop eyeing and twisting her ring. The smile did not leave her face.  
“Whenever you want is perfectly fine with me.” I kissed the top of her head.  
“What about the same day we became a couple?”  
“Christmas?”  
“Yeah. I thought it would be a romantic story to tell in the future.”  
“Tell to who?” She paused and I looked down at her. “Ness?” I heard her sniffle, and sat us up. “Hey, hey. What is it?”  
“What if we can’t have kids?”  
“Kids?”  
“I mean, I’m part vampire. Vampires can’t have children.”  
I realized what she meant, and smiled. “You’re also part human, love. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. And if not, we’ll deal with it.”  
“So... you do want kids?”  
“I do.”  
“With me?”  
“Of course with you, silly. There’s no one else I would possibly have kids with.”  
Saying it made me think. That’s actually not true. If Edward stayed gone when he left, there’s a chance I’d be having this conversation with someone else right now.  
Bella.  
If her and Edward didn’t end up together, they wouldn’t have Renesmee. And I wouldn’t have Renesmee. I’d have Bella.  
“Ness...”  
“Yeah, Jake?”  
I paused. “I need to tell you something.”  
I guess she understood from my tone that it was serious. “What is it?”  
“It’s about your mom.”  
“My mom?”  
“It’s something that happened a long time ago. A few months before you were born.”  
“Mm-hm?”  
I didn’t really know how to continue without saying Edward left Bella. I didn’t think she knew that.  
“Actually, never mind. I’m sorry. I guess she needs to be with us when I tell you. There’s parts I don’t really know.”  
“Oh. Um... okay.” She yawned.  
“Here. Lay back down. Long day tomorrow.”  
She fell asleep pretty quickly. I waited until she did, then put her hand on my cheek. I loved watching her dream.


	7. Truth, Part Two (JPOV)

We got back to the Cullens’ and I went to find Bella. When I did, Edward was with her.  
“Really, Jacob?” He scoffed.  
“Of course you already know.” I rolled my eyes. “We need to talk to her together. We all have different roles in the story.”  
Bella grabbed Edward’s hand and followed me to Renesmee.  
“Why are you three being so dramatic? Rip off the bandaid already,” Emmett said. They were all here. It’s probably best this way.  
“What’s going on?” Ness was clearly nervous. She didn’t really mind any attention she got, but she didn’t crave it, either.  
“We need to talk about you and Jacob.”  
“Yes, the talk we’ve all been waiting for.” Emmett grinned. He was so excited to see how insane this would get.  
“Oh, no. You guys seriously aren’t gonna—”  
“No, Nessie. Not that talk,” Edward whispered.  
“Okay, good. Then what is it?”  
“Jacob started to talk to you about it last night.” Bella sat on the coffee table in front of her, and Edward sat next to Ness on the couch. “And just so you know, this is gonna be as hard for me to say as it is for you to hear it.” She looked at me for a second. “As you’re already aware, Jacob and I grew up together. And when I came up here from Phoenix to live with Grandpa Charlie, he and I reconnected. And that’s when I met your dad.” Edward took her hand. “We were together for a few months, and then when my eighteenth birthday came around... something terrible happened.”  
Jasper chimed in. “I was still relatively new to the vegetarian diet, so I wasn’t one hundred percent in control of myself all the time. Alice wanted to celebrate your mom’s birthday here. But being the klutz that she is...” He paused to smirk at Bella, who grinned back at him. “She gave herself a paper cut when she was opening a present.”  
Bella mockingly continued, “And Uncle Jasper being the bloodlusting maniac that he was...”  
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m a vampire, get over it,“ he lightly shoved her. “Anyway... I attacked her.”  
“Tried to,” she corrected. “But everyone made sure I was safe. But in the process, your father shoved me ten feet back into the wall, for whatever reason, I still have no idea,” she chuckled. I had never heard this. It sounds traumatic. She’s only trying to make light of the situation for Renesmee’s sake so she doesn’t freak out. “And I got glass in my arm. So for Jasper’s enjoyment, I was bleeding five times more than I was in the beginning. But Grandpa Carlisle stitched me back up, and I was perfectly fine.”  
Everyone saw her expression shift. Edward continued for her. “After that happened, I didn’t think that your mom would survive in my world. The dangers of being around vampires was starting to catch up to her—let alone how accident prone she was, even without me—and I didn’t want to inflict her with that anymore.”  
Nessie kept flickering her eyes between Bella and Edward with tears threatening to fall.  
“He thought I would end up either extremely hurt, or dead. So... he left.”  
“What do you mean, he left?” She was so confused.  
“He lied to protect me. In his eyes, it was protecting me.”  
“Lied?”  
“He said I needed to go on living my human life without him. That... he didn’t love me anymore. And that I would be happier in the long run.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “He and everyone else were gone for about seven months.”  
Everyone looked at me now. This is the part of our story where I enter.  
“And in that seven months... Jacob and I got closer. He made me feel better. Happy again. We would build motorbikes together, and drove around town...” She smiled at the memories, and so did I. “But when his shifter genes came to the surface... he left me, too. Thought he was protecting me.” She rolled her eyes at me. “Both overprotective fools, I’m telling you,” she told Ness.  
“In my case, it wasn’t my fault. I wasn’t allowed to be around you anymore. Alpha’s orders.”  
Bella waved her hand at me. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. So, after I figured out what he was, I was ‘allowed’ back in his life. And we got... even closer.”  
“You’re skipping a few things,” Rosalie said, hanging her head in shame at the memory.  
“Right. So, at some point about three months after they left, I figured out something that would... help me a little. I was out shopping with a friend to please Charlie one night and I ran across a group of men that I thought I recognized from when I first met your dad, back when I didn’t know he was vampire.” I heard a quiet growl come from Edward. I didn’t know what she was talking about, but it was obviously something he didn’t like. Bella squeezed his hand and he relaxed. “I started to think about going over to them, and that’s when... he appeared.”  
“Who?”  
“Your dad.” Everyone except for Edward was confused. “It wasn’t really him. It was my imagination. Every time I was in a somewhat dangerous situation, he showed up, telling me to get away from it. It scared me at first, because I realized I was going crazy. After a while, I did it deliberately. I wanted to hear his voice, even if the sound was angry.”  
“On one of our drives, we saw Sam and two other wolves cliff diving,” I said.  
“I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to see him. So I went there by myself. This was after I found out about Jacob.”  
“It was stupid,” I said. “I still can’t believe you did that.”  
“I got what I wanted. I was right, he was there. But so was someone else.”  
“Yup, me. You’re welcome.”  
“No, not you.” She paused. “Well, yes, you, but I meant someone else.”  
“What? Who?” Edward didn’t know this part, I guess.  
“Victoria.”  
“She was there?!” Edward stood up, angry.  
“Relax. It was a long time ago. Jacob chased her into the water a few minutes before I got there. I always forgot to tell you. Not that you know everything else from that time, either. But anyway, when I jumped in, I was so exhilarated that I forgot why I did. Then I saw the waves. I got pulled under a few times before I saw her. I was right below the surface when I saw red hair swimming toward me. I freaked out, and my head hit the cliff rocks behind me. I almost drowned. I would have died any minute, but then Jacob pulled me out.”  
“This is where I messed up,” Rosalie sighed.  
“But did you? It’s the reason I’m with you all today.”  
“What did she do?” Renesmee asked.  
“When I jumped in, Alice saw. She... thought I tried to kill myself, and she didn’t see me come back out. You know how she can’t see Jacob in her visions? She didn’t see him save me. She came to the conclusion that I was dead, and told Aunt Rose what she thought happened. Then Rosalie called your dad. He wasn’t with them. They were in New York, and he was in Rio. Alice had come back to Forks to see if she could do anything to help Charlie deal with my death, but when she realized what really happened, it was too late. When Rose told Edward I was dead, he didn’t believe it, so he called my house. Jacob was with me there... This is the main reason why we wanted to talk to you. It’s about Jake and me.”  
It took a few seconds for Ness to think before she said something. “Oh, my... Did you two—”  
“No. No, no. Nothing happened between us... but it would have if that phone call from your dad hadn’t come in. Jacob answered it. When he was asked where Charlie was, Jake told him he was ‘at the funeral.’ Thinking the worst, he thought he meant my funeral.” She leaned toward Edward, and whispered, “By the way, why did you think that? Don’t you think Charlie would’ve mourned for a few hours first? I mean, you called the same day.”  
“Cut me a little slack, I was going through some stuff,” he chuckled.  
“I’m so glad you guys can joke about it now,” Rosalie said. She was still upset. Emmett put his arm around her to calm her down.  
How do you make a blonde shut up? There’s a joke in there somewhere.  
I fought to keep the laughter inside my head. I could’ve sworn Edward smiled at me for a second.  
“I’m confused,” Nessie sighed.  
“Right,” Bella continued, “So after that, your father went to the Volturi because he didn’t want to live in a world where I didn’t exist. But I saved him before anything permanent happened, and they all came back to Forks. Everything was fine for a while. Then that woman Victoria came back and tried to kill me again. I guess she thought third time was the charm.”  
“Wait. Why are you guys telling me all this now?” Renesmee asked.  
“I wanted you to know eventually, but I wanted to wait until I knew you could handle it. Mainly because it goes with why Jacob and I are so close, and...”  
“I was gonna tell you last night, but I thought it would be less confusing if you got the whole story,” I told her.  
“You think this is less confusing?”  
“Well... I guess it is for me because I lived it.”  
“Okay, well, I didn’t. And I didn’t think it was this bad, so can someone just tell me why I’m really here?”  
We all looked around at each other. No one wanted to say it. I thought about what Emmett said, and just blurted it out.  
“I was in love with her.”  
Everyone stopped breathing.  
“What?”


	8. Betrayal (BPOV)

After Jacob told Renesmee he used to be in love with me, she didn’t react the way anyone thought she would. He and I told her everything that happened, including the kiss on the mountain. And the reason why it did: I loved him, too.  
But I said that kiss was the extent of it, because I chose Edward.  
She didn’t say much. After we finished, she just silently walked out. Edward said she needed time alone, and she was gonna take a walk.  
Just like Jacob, I was scared out of my mind. We didn’t know if she would ever forgive us for waiting so long to tell her.  
Jake had it worse, of course. She had the option to choose if she wanted him anymore, but she didn’t have an option about me. I was her mother. No matter how upset she was, that wouldn’t change.  
She was gone the rest of the day. It was the longest four hours I’ve ever experienced.  
Edward said she stayed within his hearing distance. She wanted him to be able to read her mind, to let him and the rest of us know she was safe. He said he wouldn’t tell me what she was thinking. She made him promise. She knew just because he had to know her thoughts, no one else did. And we all respected that.  
Jasper did his best to help us. He used his gift to lift our moods as much as he could. We were grateful. I hadn’t been hurting this much since the Volturi was here, threatening to take my daughter away.  
“She’s coming back. Her decision is made,“ Edward said. Everyone else came back downstairs to wait with us.  
No one was sitting. We knew we couldn’t stay still. Jacob kept pacing in front of the doorway. He needed to be the first one, which we understood.  
It took her about ten minutes to get home. She walked in without saying anything, and her eyes never left the floor. Jacob’s never left hers.  
She stood in front of him for a few minutes, then looked up. To my surprise, she hugged him.  
Relief washed over his face, and he squeezed her back.  
I smiled. Edward put his hand on my knee, and shook his head at me. I was confused.  
She let go of him, but took his hand. She placed something in it, and closed his fingers around it. When she walked upstairs, I saw it happen.  
Jacob broke. In his open palm was the engagement ring.


	9. Rejection (BPOV)

When Renesmee gave Jacob the ring back, it seemed like he was tiptoeing around the house. He needed to be near her because of the imprint bond, but he wanted to give her as much space as she needed. As much as he could possibly give her.  
He wasn’t the goofy, loving Jake I grew up with anymore. He was someone else. I didn’t know who this person was.  
The love of his life rejected him. I knew how that felt.  
Edward did all he could to help, but even he didn’t recognize him. He said it was like his mind shut off.  
Renesmee was the same. Letting go of him hurt her just as much. She didn’t want to, but she wasn’t ready to accept the truth yet.  
Edward was different, too. Being in their minds was painful. I had to keep my shield around them so he didn’t have to hear. It seemed to help a little, but he still knew.  
“Bella, wanna come with me?” Alice came downstairs with a neutral smile on her face. She felt terrible about what her family was going through. There were very little problems that she didn’t know how to handle.  
“Yeah, sure. Let me get my keys.”  
“Got them.” Edward zoomed past me and out the door before I could reach them.  
“I guess he’s coming with us,” I chuckled.  
We liked to shop early for Christmas. It was easier to plan. Especially for Alice, who, of course, always went all-out for the party.  
We stopped by a bookstore in Port Angeles before going to Seattle. It was hard for me to think of gifts for everyone, since it seemed like they already had everything.  
Edward told me last year that before Alice came along, they didn’t do anything for Christmas. They thought it was pointless to do something every year for eternity. Alice just decorated the house, and then ever since Renesmee was born, we started doing gifts.  
Edward had it easiest. He could see whatever people wanted. Well, besides me. And if that didn’t frustrate him enough, I never gave him any hints, either.  
It was a very long day. It was almost midnight by the time we got home. Edward was arguing with me when we were walking to the cottage.  
“Bella!” he whined, “Just humor me.”  
“Shouldn’t you know me enough by now? I don’t like my birthday.” How many times are we going to talk about the same thing?  
“And shouldn’t you know me by now? I can’t get you nothing. Why do you still hate your birthday so much?”  
“It doesn’t matter.” I repeated for the millionth time, and took his hand. “I don’t want you to get me anything because you’ve already given me everything I could ever want.”  
He stopped to kiss me before we stepped inside. “I can’t help it. It’s who I am.”  
“I know. And I love that about you.”  
“So...” He looked at me expectantly. I smiled at him.  
“Well, there’s no such thing as too many books,” I said, sitting on the couch.  
He sighed semi-happily, then we heard footsteps coming to the living room.  
“What are you still doing up?” Edward asked. Renesmee stood in the hallway, looking conflicted.  
“What is it, honey?” I held my arms open for her, and she came over to curl up with me, in between us. Edward sat on the other side of her, rubbing her back.  
“I don’t know what to do, Mom.” Her voice cracked.  
“Oh, Ness... What is your heart telling you?”  
It took a minute for her to answer. “I love him.”  
“I know you do. And he loves you. And I’m so sorry... But you know what? It’s the way it was supposed to happen. He said it’s what led him to you.” I kissed her hair.  
“He really said that?”  
“He did. It was two days after you were born. He said it was the reason he and your mom needed to be close all the time. It was fate trying to make sure he met you,” Edward told her.  
“I never knew that.” She paused. “But it’s not that I doubt his love. It’s the lying that got to me.”  
“Renesmee... he wasn’t the only one involved.” She leaned up to look at me, and I held Edward’s hand. “Your father and I did the same thing Jake did. But you seem fine with us... Or is it just because we’re your parents?”  
“Go sleep on it. We’ll see you in the morning,” Edward said. She placed her hand against my cheek.  
I love you guys.  
“We love you, too,” he and I said together.  
After she had fallen asleep, Edward and I went to bed. We were almost halfway through watching Romeo and Juliet when he spoke.  
“Did you ever think we would be here?”  
“‘Here’?” I looked over at him.  
“When we met, and you found out what I was, did you ever think that we would have a future like this? You, a vampire. Us married. Having a child?”  
“No, I really didn’t. Especially the child part. I never pictured myself a mother. Even though I had been one for seventeen years. My mom and I kind of switched roles.”  
“You changed your mind pretty fast.”  
“Because it was with you. I knew I could do it.”  
He hung his head. “I still can’t believe that I acted like that. I never apologized for what I tried to do.”  
“Edward... It took me a while, but I understand why now. You were scared to lose me. I know what that feels like.” I scooted closer to him, and put my head on his shoulder, then he kissed my head and wrapped his arms around me. We stayed this way for about an hour before I sighed, “I miss you.”  
He chuckled. “You miss me? We’re together all the time.”  
I moved my head to the crook of his neck, and his skin was cold against my lips.  
“Oh,” he mumbled.  
He buried his hands in my hair, then pulled the sheet over us.


	10. Sentimental (RPOV)

I awoke to the smell of sizzling bacon. It was barely light out, so it wasn’t even seven yet.   
I made my bed, hopped in the shower, then put on one of the long-sleeved dresses my aunt Rose got for me last Christmas.  
“Daddy?” I asked as I left my bathroom.  
“Nope, me,” my mom’s voice yelled out.  
“You don’t cook.” I narrowed my eyes when I saw her. It was always Dad who cooked for me.  
“Not in a while, but I used to cook for your grandpa all the time. He couldn’t make anything to save his life,” she chuckled. “I still don’t know what he did before I went to live with him. He probably just went out to eat three times a day.”  
“At least he never has to do that again.” I was suddenly excited. “When are we gonna go see him?”  
“Today, actually. He called me yesterday to see if we had plans for my birthday.”  
I smiled to myself. We definitely had plans. But of course Grandpa knew that. He’d gotten really good at keeping secrets.  
We went to the main house after I ate, and everyone made it seem like nothing was going on. Dad and Aunt Alice were gone, and Mom thought they were buying her presents. She wasn’t wrong, but that wasn’t everything they were doing. They were at Grandpa’s, decorating for the party.  
I sat at the kitchen counter, drinking water. My head was so full.  
I thought I knew what I wanted. But part of me said I deserved better. I grew up with my family telling me I should get everything I wanted out of life.  
I wanted Jacob.  
He’s never hurt me. Not once.  
And the one time he did — by doing something before I was even born — I turned my back on him.  
But after thinking about what Mom and Dad said last night, I realized they were right. I was perfectly fine with them. And it wasn’t because they were my parents. It was because I loved them, and I knew they would never hurt me on purpose.  
It was the same way with Jacob. It wasn’t on purpose. It was never meant to hurt me. It was just something that happened. And no matter what, nothing would change it.  
I had to accept it. I wanted to accept it. I missed him.  
“Hey!” Emmett came up behind me. I felt my heart skip a beat.  
“Stop that! It’s not funny!”  
“It is for me.” He laughed, and sat next to me. “What are you doing?”  
“Nothing. Just sitting.”  
He looked at me different. “Thinking about Jacob?”  
I scoffed. “Maybe... But it won’t be a problem anymore. I know what my decision is.”  
“Well, good.” He kissed my forehead. “Wanna come hunting with me for a few hours?”  
“Sure. Thanks.”  
A few hours later, when we all pulled up to Charlie and Sue’s house, he was waiting out front. I was the first one out of the car, running up to him.  
“Grandpa!”  
I knocked the breath out of him. “Hi, honey! Oh, I missed you!”  
“I missed you, too.”  
“Hey!” Mom was right behind me with a huge smile on her face.  
“Hi, Bells. Happy birthday.”  
“Thanks, Dad.”  
After everyone else greeted him, we went inside.  
Mom’s face was priceless. After a few seconds, she said she wasn’t that shocked. She knew Alice well enough by now.  
That’s when I spotted him.  
Jacob was standing by the couch, staring at me.  
The rest of them got kind of quiet as I slowly made my way through the hallway, trying to avoid eye contact with him. I didn’t want to make a scene during my mom’s birthday.  
Most of them sat on the couch, and I walked to the kitchen.  
“Hey, Grams! What smells so good?” I hugged her.  
“Many, many things. You know how much the wolves like to eat.”  
“Oh, Seth and Leah are coming?”  
“Yeah! Seth is on break at school, and Leah’s bringing her fiancé.”  
“I can’t wait to see them. What was her fiancé’s name again?”  
“Tobias, but she calls him Toby. And I’m pretty sure Sam and Emily are coming, too,” she said.  
“What about Joseph?”  
“They didn’t say, but probably. They should all be here soon.”  
“Hi, Sue!” Mom joyfully came up to us, and hugged her.  
“Hi, Bella! Happy birthday!”  
She laughed. “Thank you. Ness, your dad needs you.”  
I nodded, and went to the living room. It was getting a little crowded. It’s really gonna be packed when the last six people arrive.  
“Yeah?” I asked Dad.  
“Can you stack these presents over there, please? I gotta help your aunt with the rest.”  
“Of course.” I took the pile from him, doing what I was told.  
I tripped on the rug, and they fell out of my arms. Before I could fall over with them, I felt strong arms catch me.  
“Wow, you really do take after your mom, don’t you?” he laughed.  
“At least, that’s what everyone tells me.” I looked up after I patted down my dress. “Thanks, Jake.”  
“No problem.” I saw the pain in his eyes, and quickly looked away before I started to cry. Again.  
I heard cars pull up, and Sue yelled out, “They’re here, they’re here!”  
Seth came in first. Jacob and Charlie greeted him loudly, then Sue cried while giving him a hug.  
Leah and Toby came behind him, following Sam and Emily, who was holding their two-year-old son, Joseph.  
“Joey!” I yelled after she put him down. He ran right into my arms, then she joined us in a group hug.  
My eyes watered. “I missed you so much!” I told her.  
“We missed you, too, Renesmee.”  
“Hey, there’s my girl!”  
“Sammy!” I engulfed him next.  
We all sat around the table in the living room after saying our hellos. Seth told a few stories about his college life, and how he was so excited to graduate this year. Leah introduced us to Toby, who was extremely nice. He was gonna be my uncle in about five months, so I was glad we got along. I got to know him, and we bonded over being imprinted to the pack. I was so happy for Leah. Not that she really had a choice, but she picked a good one.  
I sat with Seth when it was time for cake. He told me how sorry he was that he missed my birthday. I said he didn’t have to worry about it.  
He was always more like a brother to me than an uncle. We got along easily, and we picked on each other.  
I wished I had a brother. He definitely filled the void, even though I’d only gotten to see him once a year since he left for college.  
When Grandpa Charlie married Sue almost four years ago, it really tied this family together. As if I didn’t already have a huge family, it grew more than twice its size. I will be forever grateful that they fell in love.  
Mom was happy to have a brother, too. She’s always had Jacob, but she was happier to have Seth as a stepbrother as well.  
It was a long but fulfilled day. The wolves and their loved ones planned on staying here for a few days, but Jake went back to the Cullen home with the rest of us.  
We pulled up around ten o’clock. I went upstairs to take a shower, and when I got back down, I saw Jacob standing in the kitchen. Suddenly, a wave of realization came over me.  
It was impulse.  
I walked slow at first, then progressively got faster as he turned to look at me. It took a second for him to figure out what I was about to do. I was aware of the eight pairs of eyes on me, but I didn’t care. My only thoughts were on the wolf, who was now ten feet in front of me.  
I grabbed his face, and kissed him.  
And all was right in the world again.  
Later, we were laying on the couch watching a movie when I heard my mom.  
“Ness, can you come with me for a second?” she asked. I looked up from Jacob’s chest.  
“What’s up?”  
“I have a present for you.”  
I followed her upstairs to my dad’s old bedroom. I’d only been in here a few times. Mom sat on the huge bed in the middle of the wall, and patted the space next to her, silently inviting me over.  
When I did, she took out a little squared box. She smiled to herself before opening it.  
Inside laid a bracelet with two charms on it: a diamond heart, and a small wooden wolf figure.  
“I figured now was a good time to give this to you.” She paused to smile at me. I heard four heavy footsteps, and looked over to see my dad and Jake standing in the doorway. “Jacob gave this to me the day of my high school graduation. Alice threw a party here. And even though he was uninvited, he showed up anyway. This was his present.” She looked like she wanted to cry, but she couldn’t. Being a vampire wouldn’t let her. I could only see a faint glisten of extra venom in her eyes. “Originally, it only had the wolf on it. He carved it himself. But, of course, your jealous father had to add something of his to it. He said it represented him perfectly. A diamond heart. Cold, hard, and full of love.” She reached back into the box, and pulled out another charm. It was a silver bell. She clipped it onto the bracelet, between the first two. “And now, something from me. So you know we’ll always be with you, no matter where you are.” She kissed my forehead after putting it on my left wrist. She got up while I admired it.  
As she was walking out, Jake asked, “Why a bell?”  
“It’s my name, you doofus,” she told him. Dad laughed, taking her hand.  
“We’ll see you at the cottage, Nessie,” he said.  
“Mom!” She stopped, and turned to look at me. “Thank you.”  
“You’re welcome.” And with that, they zoomed out.  
“So...” Jacob started, sitting next to me. “I have a question.”  
“Mm-hmm?”  
“I was kind of hoping the first time would be the only time, and I know this isn’t very romantic, but...”  
I cut him off by kissing him. “I would love to marry you, Jacob Black.”  
He grinned. He took the velvet box out of his pocket. “Are you sure?”  
“I’ve never been more sure about anything.”  
He slipped the ring back on my finger, and kissed me again like never before.


	11. Planning (RPOV)

“Wake up! We have less than fifteen weeks to plan this!” Alice screamed.  
“Calm down. You had less time that that to plan my wedding. It was beautiful,” Dad said.  
“Well of course it was, but you should know how frustrated I was.”  
He kissed her cheek as I was standing up.  
“Get ready!” She ran out of the cottage and back to the main house.  
“How did she not kill Mom trying to plan yours?”  
“Your aunt knew better. She didn’t ask Mom for much. Not even about the dress.”  
“Then why can’t she do it without me?”  
“Because she knows you, too. Maybe you had no choice, since she was one of the ones who raised you. But if it were just your mom and me, you’d be a lot more like her than your aunts.” He smiled. “Get ready. We’ll see you over there.”  
Aunt Alice didn’t want to waste any time with the wedding so close. Mom and I thought it would be a good idea to include everyone we could, so we went to Grandpa Charlie’s.  
All the guys were in the kitchen while us girls were in the living room. The only one missing was Joseph, who was taking a nap in Mom’s old room.  
There was no second of quiet. Especially from Alice. She kept complaining that we had ‘absolutely no time to plan a decent wedding.’  
She also didn’t think we should all be in the same place, so the guys went back to our house. Joseph was still here because Emily wanted him near her, and Grandpa had to do some paperwork for his job, so he was in his bedroom.  
“Okay, bridesmaids and maid of honor? And it can’t be Bella,” Alice said.  
“Why not?” I asked.  
“Because she shouldn’t have to worry about doing anything. She should be watching everything from the front row.”  
Mom put her hand on my arm to assure me that she was okay with it. We all knew how convincing Alice was anyway.  
Her eyes lit up when I said she could be my maid of honor. I chose Rose, Emily, and Leah to be the bridesmaids. They were gonna come back for the holidays, so it was perfect timing.  
“Okay, give me a minute. I need to figure out where everyone’s sitting,” Aunt Alice said.  
“I’m gonna go get a drink,” I told them, and stood up.  
Mom sat closer to Alice, and I started walking to the kitchen. I heard a knock on the door before I got there, and stopped to open it.  
It was a woman. Her hair was short, and dark with highlights. She looked extremely familiar, but I couldn’t place who she was. It was frustrating.  
“Hello, can I help you?”  
“Maybe. Um, does Charlie Swan still live here?”  
“Yeah, I’ll get him.” I stepped back a few feet, and grabbed the staircase rail. “Grandpa!”  
“What?” he yelled back at me.  
“Come down here!” I looked back at the woman, who’s eyes went wide with confusion. “He might take a minute.”  
She looked dazed. I felt kind of uncomfortable with her staring at me, like I was on display. Who was she?  
“What is it, Ness?” He came up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder.  
“Someone’s here to see you.”  
“Charlie?”  
He froze, staring at her. It took a few seconds for him to speak, and I realized I made a terrible mistake.  
“Renée?”


	12. Fright (RPOV)

“What are you doing here?” He said slowly, pausing to look at me, and whispered, “Go stay with your mom. Tell her to call your dad.”  
I nodded and walked quickly back to her. She was giggling with Alice. How did they not hear that?  
“Mom.” I was terrified. I didn’t know how to react.  
“Yeah, honey?” She stood up, concerned after seeing my expression.  
“Um... Renée is at the door.” My voice was shaking violently. “She’s talking to Grandpa. He told me to tell you to call Dad.”  
She didn’t move for a few seconds. “Alice...” I could tell by her voice that she was scared, too. But she was also confused and angry about how Alice didn’t see her coming.  
She took the phone from Mom’s pocket and dialed quickly.  
“Edward.” She paused, and I heard muffled laughter, then a hush from my dad through the receiver. “Bella’s mother is here.”  
The loud bang was self-explanatory. He dropped the phone—probably breaking it—before he could hang up, and rushed to get over here. I thought at least Jacob and Carlisle would rush to follow him.  
He was faster than them, so he got here first. He made it through the back door, and caught Mom as she sank back down to the floor.  
“Did she just call you ‘Grandpa’? Who was that?” I heard Renée say. Had only twenty seconds passed?  
“Answer my question,” he said, obviously trying not to be rude.  
I couldn’t believe this was happening. I knew it was bad, but all I could think about was that my grandmother was here. The only person in my whole family who I’d never met. Who didn’t even know I existed.  
I knew I recognized her when I opened the door, but I just couldn’t place it. Mom showed me a picture of her a long time ago. It was them together at her and Dad’s wedding, the last time they ever saw each other.  
I should have known. I always look at pictures of her from when she was human.  
If I remembered who she was, I would have just said Grandpa moved. This wouldn’t be happening right now. It was my fault my mom was feeling this pain right now.  
“Renesmee. No.” Dad’s stern voice pulled me out of my reverie.  
I started crying, and he motioned me over to them. I sat next to Mom, and Dad engulfed us both.  
That’s when everyone else got here. They came in through the back, too. Jacob immediately came over to me. Dad let me go with him, and focused on Mom. He knew I was safe with Jake.  
It was quiet at the front door for a minute. Then Renée’s strangled voice said, “Phil died. Last month. I came straight here from the funeral. I wanted to talk to you about something.”  
“About what?” Charlie’s voice immediately soothed over after he heard of his death.  
“Bella. I thought it would make me feel better.” She sniffed. “Is that okay?”  
He hesitated before letting her in. He led her to the kitchen so she wouldn’t see us.  
My face felt dry, so I wanted to splash it with water upstairs.  
I left the sink running until it was warm, then wiped off the sticky tears.  
I never got my drink, so I was gonna get that, too. She already saw me. What was the harm?  
When I walked in, they were looking at pictures of my mom. Grandpa didn’t have too many, but he definitely had a lot to say about her.  
I didn’t know the story they made up for Renée. I assumed they told her she died, but I didn’t know exactly how.  
I opened the fridge, and she spoke up when she saw me.  
“Hi, there.”  
I looked to him first, then flicked my eyes to her. “Hi,” I said, pouring my water.  
“I’m sorry I didn’t introduce myself before. My name’s Renée. And you—”  
“Renée,” he said.  
“What? I can’t ask her name? She called you ‘Grandpa.’ I wasn’t aware you had another child. Certainly not one old enough to have a child this age. Unless you adopted?” He didn’t answer, he just looked down. Nobody ever talked about what to do or say if this happened.  
“Ness, come on,” Jacob came in.  
“Oh, a familiar face! Hello, Jacob. You’ve aged nicely.”  
“Hi, Renée. It’s nice to see you.”  
“How’s your dad?”  
“He’s great, thank you.” He turned to me. “We gotta go.” He took my hand, and started walking me out.  
“Wow, what a rock!” She caught eye of my engagement ring. “When’s the wedding?”  
“Christmas,” Jake said.  
“Oh, my. Is it with you?”  
“It is.” He smiled as politely as he could manage.  
“Renée, they have to go,” Grandpa tried insisting.  
“Wait! You look incredibly familiar,” she said to me. “Have I maybe met some of your family?”  
“Um... I don’t know.” I was so flustered.  
“Well, what’s your name?”  
“Renée—” Charlie was cut off.  
“Her name is Renesmee Cullen.”  
I turned around. The voice came from my father.


	13. Dangerous (BPOV)

“Edward?” I heard my mother say. Alice wrapped her arms tighter around me.  
“Hello, Renée.”  
“He doesn’t look any older than the last time I saw him...” she said to herself.  
He acted like he didn’t hear her. “How have you been?”  
“What are you doing?” I heard Jacob‘s voice, lower than any human could hear.  
“She would have kept insisting.”  
“I’ve been... better.” She sounded dazed, and took a long pause. “Another Cullen?”  
“Yes. Renesmee is Carlisle’s biological niece. He adopted her a few years ago. My family is here to plan the wedding.”  
“So, she’s your cousin. Why’d she say Charlie was her grandfather?”  
“She likes to tease me about my age,” Charlie commented. She was about to say something again, but she was cut off.  
Joseph started crying. Edward, Nessie, and Jacob told her they should get him. Before she could ask any more questions, they were gone, and Charlie sat her back down. Emily was already upstairs.  
Edward grabbed me, and we all ran out the door. Everyone else followed behind.  
Edward laid me on the couch, and sat on the floor next to me. I felt sick. But I didn’t know what to do about it.  
I didn’t know what to do about anything. My mother just showed up out of the blue.  
I suddenly remembered why, and my mood shifted.  
Her husband just died. Her alleged dead daughter’s birthday was yesterday, and she needed comfort. I felt selfish.  
I didn’t think she could handle knowing. That’s why I never continued to be in her life. Charlie knew.  
Well, he didn’t know. We never told him, but we knew he had his suspicions. He didn’t like to know every detail of everything. He didn’t care. He just wanted to be with me. And he was. So everyone was happy.  
Until now.  
My mother would never stop asking questions. She couldn’t know. She would be killed if the Volturi found out.  
The only other solution is to change her. And I didn’t think she would be happy in this life.  
But I didn’t know her anymore.  
She didn’t have any family left. She might love having a second chance.  
I didn’t even think she knew Charlie got married. She hadn’t been involved in our lives since she was informed of my death. Well, as far as I was aware. Maybe Charlie hid her from me to protect my feelings.  
Charlie told her I caught something in Rio during my honeymoon. I died on my nineteenth birthday. Which, in a way, I did. She just didn’t know I came back to life.  
I desperately wished I could turn both of my parents. They’re the only the family I had left that wasn’t already ageless. I didn’t want to live without them. I wouldn’t ever be the same.  
But it’s not like I could ask. I’m in this life because I chose it. I belong in it. I didn’t know if they did, even though Charlie adapted well to our current situation. He was good with weird. Like father, like daughter, I guess.  
“What are we gonna do?”  
“I don’t know if there’s anything we can do, love,” Edward whispered. “She believes Renesmee is another sibling of mine.”  
“Maybe she did then. But now that she’s had over an hour to ponder, who knows what she thinks? Renesmee called Charlie her grandfather right in front of her. Why would someone from your family, sibling or otherwise, call him that? She’s not stupid, you know.”  
“I know... But there’s no logical explanation, Bella. Not to her. She’s never been introduced to any kind of supernatural or magical world. She only knows what she knows.”  
He was probably right. But she said something about his aging, too. She could put two and two together. It’s slight, but it is possible.  
Even more, I wanted her to know. A very small part of me did. I missed her. Everyone else got to have their parents know their secret. Why shouldn’t mine?  
The Cullens had Esme and Carlisle. Renesmee had Edward and me. The wolves had all their parents. Charlie even knew about the werewolves. Why couldn’t he and Renée know about me? It wasn’t fair.  
“Bella,” Jasper called out from upstairs. He must’ve felt my frustration.  
“I’m fine.”  
Edward knew what Jazz knew, so he kept bugging me about it. I didn’t want to say anything. Nothing I said would change anything. I wasn’t in the mood to humor him today, so I stood up from the couch, and started walking toward the front door.  
“Emmett!” I called out. He came running down the staircase, but I didn’t turn my head.  
“Yeah?”  
“Wanna come with me?”  
“Sure. Bye, babe.” He kissed Rose, and we went hunting for the rest of the day.


End file.
